Concrete-mixer.



PATENTEDDEC. 15, 1903.

W. A. FRITZ.

CONCRETE MIXER. APPLIGATIGN FILED rias. 27, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

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Patented December 15, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A; FRITZ, OF ZANESVILLE, OHIO. Y

CONCRETE-MIXER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent' No. 746,947, dated December 15, 1,903.

Application iiled February 27, 1903. Serial No. 145,400. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. FRITZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Zanesville, iu the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Concrete-Mixers,0f which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of mixing concrete, mortar, and the like.

The essential object of the invention is to provide for mixing thematerial while in tran-A sit, and in particular while being elevated from the ground to the different floors of'a building in course of erection.`

It is furthermore designed to havel the power for mixing the material transferred from the means for elevating the entire apparatus and in this manner to simultaneously carry out the elevating and mixing operations.

Another object is to provide for conveniently detaching the mixer proper from the elevating means in order that the latter may be employed independently of the former for hoisting stones, timbers, and other materials.

With these and other objects in View the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood thatchanges in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing` from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention. Y

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a combined mixer and elevator constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail enlarged sectional view taken through the upper portion of the apparatus. Fig. i is a detail cross-sectional view of the mixing-drum, and Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective View of the drum to show some of the beaters thereof. Fig. 6 is a detail elevation showing the clutch connection between a sprocket-wheel and the drive-shaft.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts ineach and every figure of the drawings.- I

As hereinbefore indicated, the present apparatus is designed to carry out the mixing operation while it is being elevated and lowi ered, as shown in the drawings.

The preferred embodiment of the invention consists of a mixer proper in the form of a cylindrical receptacle or drum l, which is provided with a door 2, hinged or slidable, whereby thel material maybe introduced and removed. As best indicated in Figs. Ll and 5, it will be seen that a plurality of beaters 3 are secured to the interior of the drum,each beater being angular or substantially L-shaped and arranged in longitudinal series made up of spaced members, so that when the drum is rotated `these beaters willeffectually break u p and mix the material under treatment.

For the support of the mixing-drum there is a frame comprising an' upper yoke-shaped member 4, which straddles or arches over the drum and is provided at each end with downwardly-diverged leg-standards 5,(best shown in Fig. 2,) which are adapted to rest upon the ground or aoor, so as to support the apparatus when it vis not being elevated. Just above the mixing-drum the frame is provided with an intermediate cross-bar 6to brace and stiften the frame. The members of each pair of standards 5 are connected by a cross-bar 7, and each endV of the mixing-drum isprovided with an outwardly-directed spindle 8,

which is journaled inthe adjacent crossfbar 7 in vorder that the drum (maybe rotated upon its longitudinal axis. At the upper end of the frame there is a hanger consisting of. opposite link members 9, the lower ends of which are bifurcated, so as to embrace the yoke 4, to which they are pivotally connected by means of suitable pivot-pins l0, whereby the links may be swung outwardly in opposite directions, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l of Vthe drawings,'for a purpose as will be hereinafter more fully described. The upper ends of the links are connected by meansvof a cross-bar 11, which is cylindrical in shape and is mounted to rotate iu suitable eyes or openings in the links.- This cross-bar is removable and may be held against accidental endwise displacement by the pins or keys l2, inserted in suitable openings iu the bar; but it will of course be understood that ,one of these pins or keys may be dispensed with and a head substituted in lieu thereof. This change being obvious, it has not been deemed necessary to illustrate the same in the drawings. The links are also detachably connected by means of an intermediate crossbar 13, which has a pin or key 14 to removably hold it in place. An inverted substantially U-shaped bail 15 has its opposite ends provided with eyes for the rotatable reception of the cross-bar 11, and the upper end of this bail is provided with a swiveled link 17, with which the cable 18 of a block and tackle is adapted to be connected. It will now be understood that thelcross-bar 11 is also a shaft, and upon this shaft and between the opposite sides of the bail 15 are grooved pulleys 19, which are fast upon the shaft, so as to rotate therewith. A pair of sprocket-wheels 2O are also fast upon the shaft and disposed between the bail 15 and the respective links 9.

For elevating the apparatus a block and tackle is employed, as best shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, wherein it will Ybe seen that the cable 18, connected to the hanger, passes upwardly and over one pulley member of a double block 2l, which is hung in any preferred manner from a suitable support 22. Theuce it passes downwardly and around one of the pulleys 19, thence upwardly and over the other pulley member of the block 21,

thence downwardly and around the other pulley 19, thence upwardly and over an elevated block 23, from which the cable portion 24 leads to a hoisting-drum or other suitable source of power. It will now be understood that when the cable portion 24 is drawn in the direction of the arrow on Fig. 1 of the drawings the entire apparatus will be elevated, and, furthermore, as the device rises and the cable runs over the pulleys 19 the latter and the shaft 11 will be rotated during the upward movement of the apparatus.

It is designed to transfer power from the shaft 11 to the drum 1 for rotating the latter, and this is carried out by means of a pair of endless sprocket-chains 25, which run over the sprocket-wheels 20 on the shaft 11 and also over sprocket-wheels 26 on a shaft 27, mounted in suitable bearings 28 on the yoke portion 4 of the main frame and above the, drum 1. The shaft 27 is projected at oppof site ends beyond the frame, and upon these projected ends are sprocket-wheels 29, over which run endless sprocket-chains 30, which also run over sprocket-wheels 3l upon the spindles 8 of the drum 1. By this arrangement it will be understood that the shaft 11 is rotated by the elevating-cable, and the drum 1 is simultaneously rotated or driven from the shaft 11 by means of the gearing j ust described.

In using the apparatus it is first set upon the ground, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and then the material is placed in the mixingdrum and the door 2 is closed and locked-as, for instance, by means of a turn-button 32. Power is then applied to the cable to draw the same in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, whereby the entire apparatus is elevated and the mixing-drum is simultaneously rotated, thereby effectually mixing the material during the elevation thereof.

In order that the apparatus may be capable of elevating material other than mortar, concrete, or the like-as, for instance, masonry and timbers-it has been .designed to disconnect the main frame from the elevating means by removing the shaft 11 and the cross-bar 13 and also the pulleys 19 and the sprocket-wheels 20, the bail l5 being provided with a central pendent arm 33, having openings for the reception of the shaft 11 and the cross-bar 13 and provided at its lower endl with an enlarged hook or eye 34, with which a rope or cable may be engaged for elevating a stone or timber.

To facilitate the disengagement of the links 9 and sprocket-wheels 20 from the shaft 11 without withdrawing the latter from the bail 15, the upper end of each link is provided with a bearing-sleeve or perforate boss 35, projected at the inner side of the link and rotatably receiving the shaft 11. This sleeve terminates short of the bail 15,`and the adjacent sprocket-Wheel 20 is provided at its outer side with a hollow hub 36, which rotatably embraces the sleeve 35 and is pierced by a pin or key 37, which works in an external annular groove or way 38 in the sleeve, whereby the sprocket-wheel is capable of rotation upon this sleeve and is also connected therewith for removal from the shaft 11 when the link 9 is swung outwardly. At the vinner side of the sprocket-wheel there is a collar or abutment 39, fast upon the shaft 11, and between the inner end of the hub of the sprocket and the abutment 39 is a clutch connectionas, for instance, a projection fitting in a recess, as indicated at 40 in Fig. 6, whereby the sprocket is interlocked with the shaft for simultaneous rotation therewith and may be slid away from the abutment 39 and out of engagement therewith when the link 9 is swung outwardly.

It is desired to call attention to the fact that as the elevating-cable 18 passes in opposite directions around the pulleys 19 on the shaft 11 one of these pulleys should be loose upon the shaft and the other fast thereonas, for instance, by means of a spline or key 41, (shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings,) whereby the fast pulley is designed to drive the shaft and the loose pulley to rotate independently thereon.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a frame having legstandards, of a receptacle rotatably mounted thereon, elevating means including block and tackle connected to the frame, a pulley carried by the frame and engaged by the tackle for rotation thereby, a counter-shaft carried by the frame, and drive connections between the pulley and the counter-shaft and IOO IIO

also between the counter-shaft and the re ceptacle.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a frame, of a mixingdrum rotatably mounted thereon, and provided With a gear, a counter-shaft upon the frame, a drive connection between the counter-shaft and the gear, links rising from the frame, a shaft journaled in the links, a bail supporting the shaft, a pulley upon the shaft, a gear uponthe shaft, a drive connection between the gear and the countenshaft, and elevating means including block and tackle connected to the bail and engaging the pulley to rotate the same and the shaft.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke-shaped frame, of a mixing-receptacle mounted upon the frame and provided with spindles, gears upon the spindles, a counter-shaft mounted upon the frame and above the mixer, drive connections bet-Ween the counter-shaft and the also engaging the pulley to rotate the latter and its shaft. l

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a frame, of a mixingreceptacle rotatably mounted thereon, a drive mounted upon the sleeves and provided With' projections working in the grooves, clutch connections between the sprocket-Wheels and the driveshaft, a pulley fast upon the shaft, and a hoisting device including a cable running over the pulley.

WILLIAM A. FRITZ.

In presence of- A. L. PHELPs, W. L. MoRRoW. 

